St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-29
A BOLD TRAIN ROBBERY
1t Took Place on the Southern Pacific
Road Near Tucson, Aris., Late at
rea. s,s Night.
The Desperadoes Get Away With Large
Sum of Money Heavy Rewards
Offered.
4 Mob at Louisville Preparing to
Lynch the Assa1lants of Jenny
Bowman.
Fall River, Mass. Affiliated Over
Serious Charges Brought Against
n Preacher.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2S.-One of the
most audacious, desperate and successful
train robberies that was ever recorded &C.
Cured yesterday on the west-bound over
land train on the Southern Pacific railroad
near Tucson. AriZ. A special dispatch
this afternoon from Tucson gives details OF
the affair as follows: The western-bOund
express due here at 1890 last evening was
stopped and robbed at Papago station,
eighteen miles east of here. about O'Clock
last evening. The number of men engaged
i'll the robbery is variously estimated at
from five to eight. Col. Harper, the engi
neer. when approaching PapagO, a side sta
ton. was signalled by red lantern to stop.
He slowed down and as he was approach
ing the light he noticed an obstruction on
the track SO placed that in case he
failed to stop. the engine would
spread the track and derail itself.
Immediately on stopping dozen or more
shots were fired into the express car. and a
man with pistol in each hand boarded
the locomotive and commanded Harper not
to go down. The other robbers had in the
meantime been prying open the express
car and, failing to get it open, they placed
a stick of giant powder under it and COM
PEELED Harper to
LIGHT THE FUSE
attached. This he was obliged to do, but
to avoid being blown up. the messenger
opened the car and the robbers took pos
session. After eXtinguiShing the fuse,
they took charge of the car, uncOupled the
engine, baggage and express cars from the
| remainder OF the train and made Harper
get on the engine and pull ahead
two lengths. This being done, Har
per was again put off, and the
| robbers took charge of the engine
and pulled six miles toward Tucson. Here
they killed the engine and left it. During
the run the robbers went through the mail
and express cars, but did not get more than
$4,000. Theygot two packages of railroad
money, one of S1,210 and one of $500, and
also two packages of postage stamps going
to the postoffice at San Francisco. 1t is
reported that the express messenger threw
So. 500 in gold into stove, and so saved it
from the robbers. Nothing was known
here of the affair until last night. when a
telegram was received from Pantano. a
brakeman having walked back eight miles
to that place. A special was sent down,
and the train brought in at this morning.
None of the passengers were mOlested.
Some of the passengers knew nothing of the
trouble until after their arrival here. Under
Sheriff Shihell was early at the scene of
trouble, but could discover nothing that
would show the identity of the robbers. Ten
traierS under Deputy Sheriff NJ. E. Shaw
have left for the scene of the trouble. The
robbers are believed to be
DISCHARGED RAILROAD EMPLOYEES.
although they compelled Engineer Harper
to show them how to handle the locomo-
tive. 1t is believed by their action in
handling the train that they were familiar
with such work. Immediately upon the
receipt of the news at the Office of the
Southern Pacific company in this city, A.
\. Towne, general manager, issued the
following circular. with orders to the COM
pany's agents to- post it in conspicuous
places:
The mail and express cars on our west
bound express train, when at point seven
teen miles east of Tucson, Ariz., at 10 O. clock
last night, was stopped and robbed by four
or five men. The Southern Pacific Railroad
company hereby offers reward of $1,000
b each for the arrest and conviction of the
/ robbers, which is IN addition to a like reward
offered by the Wells-Fargo Express COM
pany. In addition to this we understand the
United States postoffice department has Il
standing reward of $500 each for the arrest
and conviction of persons who engage in
robbing the mails.
From information received by him Gen
eral Manager Towne said this afternoon in
| reference to the affair:
There were five shots fired in the express
car after the train had been brought to a
stop. When the train came to a stop the en-
gineer and firemen were ordered to get of
the engine, which they did. They were each
given stick of giant powder and told that
they must compel the mail agents and express
messenger to open the car or the robbers
would, with revolvers, compel them to
LIGHT THE DYNAMITE
| to destroy the car. Under these threats the
express messenger and mail agents aban-
! doned their car. The robbers then I'M.
coupled the locomotive, express and
mail cars from the train and got on
| the engine and ran down the track
two miles. There they stopped and took al
the money they could find. The money OBJ
tanned from Wells, Fargo & Co. was about
| $4,000. No passengers were molested. The
| robbers did not enter the passenger cars
When the robbers went up on the locomotive
which they appeared to be able to run, they
! left the engineer and fireman standing beside
| the track. The engineer and fire man followed
| the course taken and took the locomotive anc
| cars back to the train and proceeded west
ward No one was Injured, ana | have not
| yet heard whether the mail was riHed.
Additional facts were received concern
/
| Fargo & Co. They were to the effect thai
the train was held up three miles east of
PapagO in the cut. The mail was robbed
as well as the express. When the news
was carried back to Pantano, concerning
the robbery, United States Marshal Mead
and a deputy with two deputy sheriffs ant
two others started after the train. The
| locomotive and cars were found at the
whirling post about one mile west of Pa
page.
TIE ENGINE WAS DEAD"
The headlight was put out and air brakes
on. There was no trace of the robbers,
Marshal Mead sent for troops to Fort
Lowell, and thirty-five soldiers left there
at 5 o'clock this morning 10 scOur the coun-
try. Officer Harris was expected to arrive
soon. and another party with Indian
trailers was expected to arrive from Yuma
to hunt for the robbers. Col. Wilder,
superintendent of the mail service. said
this afternoon that he had just received a
dispatch from from Mr.. True. the mail
agent on the route between Los Angeles
and Deming concerning the robbery. The
mail and express agents were given just
one and One-half minutes to get out
under threats of being blown UP
with dynamite, and they at once gol
out. The express messenger saved S. OOC
from the robbers by hastily hiding it. The
extent of the mail robbery Col. Wilder did
not know. Mr. True had telegraphed that
he would send particulars from Los An.
!